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Chapter 1: The Tower of Death
Unfolding
the map across the table, Pasgard the wizard began pointing to various sights
and landmarks, "That is the Maunder's Southern Capital, there is the
desolate Oxytone on the edge of the desert and the southern edge of the
mountains, the Great Red Rock... that is a lazy name... There's the Tower of Death, then ---"
"Woah,
woah woah," said Malachite.
"Go back to that last one."
"The
Tower of Death?"
"Yeah,"
said Malachite. "That'd be the
one."
"Not
much to tell," said the Wizard, who was using a fork to scratch his
chin thru his beard. "What would
you know?"
"Why
is it named that would be a good place to start I think."
"That is pretty obvious thing to answer," replied the Wizard. "Nobody has gone there has returned
alive."
"Why
do we assume they are dead then?" asked Malachite. "Maybe it is just really nice and
everyone wanted to stay."
"That is possibility," said Pasgard, now combing his beard with
the fork. "But there are signs of things being bad."
"Are
these literal signs?" asked Malachite.
"Did someone hang a sign that said "Tower of Death?" and
we've just all gone along with it?"
"Scouts
have seen the tower thru looking glass, it is surrounded on all sides by half a
league of wasteland and scattered bones, bleached white as chalk."
"That
seems like a pretty explicit sign," said Malachite.
"Though
not literal," said Pasgard chuckling.
"Does
anyone know what does the hypothetical (highly likely) killing?"
"No,"
said the Wizard. "Though I am
curious. As soon as someone comes
back alive I am sure they will be in a great hurry to tell the story. But for now, a mystery."
"I
will take pains to avoid it."
"And
well you should," said Pasgard. "Should
I continue?"
Pasgard was
smirking now, an affliction Malachite liked to inflict on those around
him. The wizard was not an old man, at
least by his own accounting. Even though
he had a long beard that was going gray; and thinning hair on top; and was
plump; and wore a white and gold color combination of turban and sash that was
out of style by 10 years, even in the Caliphate where it had been all the
craze. So he was pretty clearly
delusional about his age. Pasgard was
also not stupid, cruel, or apathetic to others, so by the standards of wizards
he was likable if frumpy. His nose was
fat and red and he had blisters on his cheek bones from going thru the desert
of Wind and Ghosts, even by the nature of those who lived in the Six Oases he
was brown. And he needed some help.
Malachite
the IV of Hasenburg, or as he was also called Malachite the Dandy Knight, or
Malachite the Wonderful as he called himself, was in exile for the time being,
and was in need to provide help to someone as most of his associates had
already gone back to the noble professions of harem owner and the other a witch
doctor.
While the
doublet Malachite wore had the Two Headed Bull Crest of his home, Hasenburg
(the land he was supposed to be viscount of), the rest of his cloths were a
shocking and deliberate mismatch. His
right pant leg was poofy and yellow, his left bright blue with red vertical
stripes, and they met at a gold codpiece which if you looked closely at you
could see the words "the Wonderful" etched in gothic type. His doublet was similarly in disarray, green
poofy sleeves slashed in a festive pattern to allow the yellow puffy shirt
underneath to show thru, with his torso in a blue and yellow checkered pattern
(Though that was usually hidden under a breastplate). Malachite's hat was the most mundane aspect
as it was merely huge, black velvet, and had a massive red feather in it. His boots were polished with silver
buckles. He had learned that standing
out in a battle was key to collecting bounties at the end, everyone saw who you
killed, and how valiant you were as too many arrows were fired at your easily
targeted ass, which once again re-enforced the importance of a breast plate.
"As I
said," continued Pasgard.
Moving a tiny needle he had taken from his sleeve to mark the target. "Well away from the Tower of Death is
where we are going." He
pressed the pin into the map. "This
is Solace, a free port north of the mountains."
"The
Bones of Giants," said Malachite.
"What?"
"That
is what the mountains are called," Malachite said.
"I did
not know you knew them."
"I am very
familiar," Malachite said truthfully.
"I have been thru a dozen passes, I can take you to Solace, I have
been there too many times to count."
"Excellent,"
said Pasgard. "But..."
"Yes?"
"I
need help once we are there too,"
continued Pasgard. "I am
looking for a jewel. A gift to get me on
the good side of someone important."
"What
a coincidence," said Malachite.
"I am looking to be on the good side of people so they will give me
jewels."
"I
have a feeling we will get along well."
